Portable arc lamp



June 24 1924. 1,498,770

M. J. WOHL PORTABLE ARC LAMP Filed Jan. 17 1921 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR Maurzbe J 1419703 L Wm H I5 ATTORNEY June 24 1924. 1,498,770

M. J. WOHL PORTABLE ARC LAMP Filed Jan. 17. 1921 2 Sheets-Shoat 2 INVENTOR .zMaurz'ae J' 71/071 Z :1 :iIV

BY ./%W 4; ML 4444-6 -01 HIS AT ORNEY Patented June 24, 1924.

UNITED STATES MAURICE J. WOHL, OF NEW YORZK N. Y..

LONG ISLAND CITY, NEW YORK. A CORPORATION OF 1,498,770 PATENT OFFICE.

ASSIGNOR TO M. J. WOHL & 00., INC., OF

NEW YORK.

PORTABLE ARC LAMP.

Application filed January 17,192].

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I MAURICE J. WOHL.

a citizen of the United States, and residing at New York city. in the county of Queens 5 and State of New York, have invented cer tain new and useful Improvements in Portable Arc Lamps. of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to portable are 10 lamps and particularly to the multiple type of such lamps which is used for the illumination in photographic processes and which are provided with a continuous carbon feed mechanism. It. is the object of the present invention to provide a lamp for photographic illumination. which, is extremely light in weight and therefore may easily he carried from place to place in a studio when placed on a suitable support.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a lamp which requires little or no attention by the photographer, inasmuch as its feed mechanism works constantl and reliably without any attention.

With these and other objects in view the invention consists in a novel arrangement of the mechanism. resulting in a reduction of parts which is hereinafter fully described and finally pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings which form a part of these specifications Fig. I is a plan of the arc lamp partly in section on the line II of Fig. III: the housing is omitted in this figure.

35 Fig. II is a sectional elevation of the lamp on the line IIII of Fig. III.

Fig. III is a front elevation of the arc lamp mechanism without the reflector.

Fig. IV is a bottom plan of the are lamp.

from which the housing isremoved.

- Fig.'V is a'detail showing the solenoidarmature and spring suspensions- Fig. VI isa side elevation of the upper spring suspension from which spring 43 is omitted.

Fig. VII isa side elevation of the hinged joint between the solenoid armature and connecting rod.

Fig. is adiagram of the electrical connections of the lamp.

Fig. IX is a plan of spring 43 showing pins 44 and 47 in place.

Referring to Figures I to III the lamp consists of a horizontal .supporting top plate 55 1 on which the whole lamp mechanism is Serial No. 437.987.

suspended by means of vertical rods. The four rods 2 hold an intermediate horizontal plate 3 on which bv means of ll central rod 4 a bottom plate 5 is suspended. On each. of two opposite sides of plate. 5 :1 lower carbon holder 6 with a carbon electrode 27 is held. but insulated therefrom. Plate l also holds by means of suspension rods 7. the resistance coils 8 preferably Wound on porcelain cores and l)" means of rods 9 and shelf 10 the solenoid 11. At their lower ends. the rods 9 are connected by a bridge. piece 12 Which supports the. plunger rod 13 of dash pot 14. The upper end of this dash pot is onnected by means of spring suspension 15 to the laminated armature 16 of s lenoid 11. The upper end of armature 16 is hinged to a forked connecting rod 17 which is joined thereto by means of pin 18. The upper end of this rod is connected to the rear end 50 of the horizontal lever 20 by a second. similar spring suspension 19. The fulcrum of lever 20 is formed in a fork 21 located at the front end of plate 1 by means of a pin 22. The. rear end of lever 20 is formed by the stifi flat spring 50. Lever 20 is provided with an insulated trans verse arm 23 which operates near each of its ends a clutch 25. of familiar type, by means of links 24. These clutches clamp and lift. the upper carbon electrodes 26 directly when actuated by lever 20: the clutches are held in alinement with the elec trode guide apertures when these electrodes are removed, by pins 32. The upper car bon connectors 28 are held ooh by the electrodes 26 and connected to each other by a shorttlexible cable 29. The. electrodes 26 are guided through plate 1 by insulated plates 30 and through plate 3 by insulated plates 3]. The. upper and lower spring suspensions. 15 and 19 are alike in construction and consist of a rigid fiat bar. the ends 41 of which are bent vertically downward and provided with notches 42 (see Fig. VI) into which the ends of a variable number of flat springs 43. of the shape shown in detail in Fig. IX are inserted. The extreme ends of these springs are bent, as shown in Fig. V to prevent their removal and lost motion. By means of the central pin 44. the rod 17 is rotatively connected to the springs 43 of the upper spring suspension 19. The cotter pin 47 which holds 44 in place on 17 can be bent (as shown in Figs. V, Vland IX) to prevent this rotation by gripping the stationary spring 43 at either side. The lower spring suspen sion 15 is connected in similar manner to the dash-pot 14 but cotter pin 49 remains free to rotate with the dash-pot. The lampmechanism is surrounded by a sheet metal housing, formed by side plates 33 and 34 provided with trunnions 37 to support the lamp in a suitable stand. Plate 35 to which a handle 36 is attached forms the back of the housing, and a reflector 38 the front of the same. The electrical connections of the lamp are shown in Fig. VIII. Current enters at the positive terminal 45, passes through one of the resistance coils 8. the solenoid 11 to the lower left carbon electrode 27 and electrode 26 forming the first arc, and directly through the flexible connection to the right carbon electrode 26, to 27 forming the second arc and to the ne ative terminal 46. Should the switch e tween A and B be closed the "second resist ance 8 will be connected iii'parall'el with the first, permitting increased current to pass through the arcs. 9n the drawingsof the lamp-mechanism the switch A-B and the wiring of the Jump are omitted. The switch is preferably detached from the lamp and the conductors leading thereto leave the lamp housing through an insulated bushing. Instead of theswitch a. reversible plug may be used for this purpose. v

The principal innovations of this lamp mechanism are to found in the construction which permits the separation of the operating chamber from the arts and still permits the clutches to clamp the carbon electrodes directly, without the use of dummy rods. This is accomplished by the arrahgemerit of lever '20. This ccii str'uctioii also rsultsin a greatred iction at "the size of the whole lamp, with a consequent re duction in weight, The electrodes of this lam may befed withoutiesetting during the whol bug-mu time of the carbons, needing no attention 'y the operator, inother new feature is the possibi'ity of inserting a new pair of'upper carbon electrodes into a hot lamp. It 'm'ilbe noticed that the upper carbon ton'ne'ct'o'rs in this 'la'm" are ehtirely disconnected from the 'mechanism and serve only to connect the short cable 29 to the upper ca-rbons anathat the latter are guided only by the insulated plates 30 and 3155s tween which they are gripped by the clutches 25. The lower carbon electrodes can be re; moved by O'pe'n'in" the screws of the lower carbon holders, tey will drop out f the lamp through openings 48 of the reflector. The upper electrodes cannoffiijll'tlown on the lower ones d'u'ri'n the trimmi'h-g of the lamp, because the upper carbons an. never loose in any carbon holder when in the lamp. The two electrodes with their flexible connection attached thereto, form the closing link for the lamp circuit and the; can therefore safely be introduced into the lamp without switching the current ofi.

Another advantage gained by this invention is the fact that the reflector and l10ll ing need not be provided will: slots for the working arms of the carbon holders through which dust always enters into the lllttllil' nism. The spring suspensions used in this lamp also embody new features and are an improvement of those shown in the Paton! #123527] granted to me on July lllse 1917. The new spring attachment omits screws and nuts which may become loose by the operation of the lamp. It also permits the armatare-core to be rotated about its axis to alinc the pin l8 parallel to arm '33 of lever '1 Pin 18 provides an axis about which rod 17 may slightly rotate and follow the circular motion of the upper spring suspension l l which swings through an arc with lever 20.

After pin 18 is placed in parallel alinement with arm 23 the ends of pin -17 are bent upward on both sides of spring 4:3 of the upper suspension as shown on the dra ings to make the alinement permanent.

The steadiness of the arc is greatly improved and the-vibrations and consequent noise is reduced to be almost imperceptible. when the lamp is used with alternating cur rent, since the vibrations of the core are not transmitted to the dash pot below nor to the lever above by mea-ns 'of the two spring suspensions. A further improvement insiii'iiiig a gentle lifting of the ciutches and striking of the arc is to be found in th'e'resilient. part 50 of lever 20, whichwill only permit the clutches to lift-after the dore 'has been-lifted a definite amount; determined the stiffness of spring 50: furthermore; as the magnetic action takes place on a longer lever arm than the liftiiig of the clutches. the carbon lifting-speed is decreased and the clertrodes are fully heated before the openiii is completed and the art: formed. Having thus described Ifiy inventibn what I claim as flew and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

t. In an arc lamp 'of the open type a vertical plate forming-part of a housing-for the lamp mechanism, a pair of earb'on'el'ectrodes to one side thereof. magnetic'operatingiheans on the other side thereof. a clutch on the upper electrode. a lever above'said late arranged transversely thereto to 6 rate said clutch, one end of "said lever being actuated by said magnetic means 10- rated to one side of said electrodes and a fulcrum for said lever 'at th'eoth'er sidepf said electrodes.

2. In an arc lamp of the open type the combination with a top plate forming a support for an automatic operating mechanism hanging downwardly therefrom, an

inclined plate forming part of a reflector below said top plate, a carbon electrode penetrating both of these plates, a clutch on said electrode between said plates and an operating lever for said clutch having its fulcrum between said plates.

3. In an arc lamp in combination. with a top plate, of magnetic means, and a re- Hector. both arranged below said top plate, a carbon electrode extending through said top plate and into said reflector. feeding means engaging said electrode within the space formed by said top plate and said reflector and a lever to operate said feeding means having its fulcrum near the open side of said reflector and its free end connected to said magnetic means.

4. In an arc lamp of the open type, two are forming couples of carbon electrodes, a housing for the lamp mechanism, means to hold one electrode of each couple in stationary position, automatic means to feed the other electrodes enclosed within said housing. and a flexible conductor connecting the feeding electrodes with each other to form gripping means outside of the lamp housing to permit their free longitudinal removal from said housing.

5. In an arc lamp in combination, a pair of electrodes, a clutch on one of said electrodes to lift the same, a solenoid arranged along one side of said electrode, a lever above the same joined to said clutch, an armature for said solenoid suspended from said lever by means of a resilient blade held transversely to said armature and forming an expanding joint, a dash pot below said armature, a second resilient blade forming a similar expanding joint between said dashpot and armature, and a horizontally hinged connection between said armature and the resilient blade above the same arranged to bend on an axis parallel to the longitudinal axis of said blade.

6. In an arc lamp a solenoid, an armature therefor. a resilient joint connected to said armature expansible in the longitudinal di rection thereof, said joint comprising a resilient blade arranged transversely to said armature. a pin rotatively mounted in said blade in coaxial alinement with said armature and common means to join said blade to said armature and to limit the rotative movement of said pin.

7. In an arc lamp two are forming couples of carbon electrodes, a housing for the lamp mechanism, means to hold one electrode of each couple in stationary position, automatic means to feed the other electrodes and a flexible conductor joining said feeding electrodes with each other outside of the lamp housing, said feeding electrodes and said flexible connection forming joint means independent of any other part of the lamp, to close the lamp circuit between the arcs.

8. In an arc lamp a horizontal plate forming the top of a lamp housing enclosing an automatic feeding mechanism, a carbon elec trode'freely held in the central portion of said plate, a clutch on said electrode, an operating lever therefor arranged substantially parallel to said plate in close proximity thereto, said lever having its fulcrum near one end of said plate and magnetic means to operate said lever suspended down wardly from said plate near its other end.

9. In an arc lamp a horizontal plate forming the top of a housing for the lamp mechanism. a second plate forming part of a reflector below said top plate, a pair of stationary electrodes held in said reflector, automatic feeding means within the space between said plates, a pair of movable electrodes extending through both plates and a flexible conductor joining said movable electrodes above said top plate to form gripping means for the simultaneous removal of both movable electrodes from said feeding means and from said housin Mansion J. WOHL. 

